Andthe winners are ... Fournewcomers and seven incumbents were elected to seats on the ACES Executive Committee Two new officers and two newboard members were among the 11 winners in the ACES ExecutiveCommittee election. The results of the balloting, which ended March 12, were announcedThursday, April 19, during the opening general session of theACES national conference in Miami. Newcomers Sara Hendricks of the Victoria Advocate in Texas andLisa McLendon of the Wichita Eagle were the only candidates forvice president/membership and secretary, respectively. Also winningwithout opposition were three incumbent officers: President ChrisWienandt of the Dallas Morning News, Vice President/Conferences Deirdre Goebel Edgar of the Los Angeles Times and Treasurer Neil Holdway ofthe Daily Herald in suburban Chicago. Nine candidates ran for six at-large seats on the 10-memberboard. Voters added Daniel Hunt of the Santa Rosa Press Democratin Californa and Missy Prebula of The New York Times to the boardwhile retaining all four incumbents who sought re-election: William G.Connolly, a New York Times retiree; Teresa Schmedding of the Daily Heraldin suburban Chicago; David Sullivan of the Philadelphia Inquirer;and Scott Toole of the Express-Times in Easton, Pa. Last year, board members Sue Blair, Gerri Berendzen, John Boogertand Anne Ferguson-Rohrer won two-year terms and were not up forelection this year. Leaving the Executive Committee when the new members are seatedMay 21 will beVice President/Membership Zoe Cabaniss Friloux,Secretary Jeff Pierron and board members Paula Devlin and MelissaMcCoy. Members of the Executive Committee shape the policyof the society and take on responsibility for projects and routinetasks. Officers have additional duties, as outlined in the bylaws at www.copydesk.org. Profiles of the 2007 election winners (Note: Some candidates were nominated by themselves,some by other ACES members. Responses are presented in the thirdperson except for some segments in quotation marks, which arethe words of the candidate.) PRESIDENT: Chris Wienandt CURRENT JOB: Business news copy chief, The Dallas Morning News. Slotsbusiness copy; acts as night business news editor when that personis off duty. CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACES: ACES president, 2005-present;vice president/conferences, 2001-2005; local organizer of DallasACES conference, 1999. Has presented sessions at nine ACES conferences. QUALIFICATIONS: 30 years as a copy editor and slot innewsrooms of varying sizes; extensive involvement with ACES sinceits first conference; experience in news, business, and featuresdepartments; involvement in his paper’s push toward merging onlineoperations into the newsroom VISION FOR ACES: “ACES must help copy editors meet thechallenge of finding their place in a changing news environment,especially as online news hurtles into prominence and news companiesmerge, close or shrink staffs. We must emphasize to managersthat copy editing cannot take a back seat as organizations focus increasingly on their online sides. ACES also needs to encourage more regionalchapters and expand its offering of one-day workshops in areasregional chapters don’t cover.” VICE PRESIDENT/CONFERENCES: Deirdre Goebel Edgar CURRENT JOB: National copy desk chief, Los Angeles Times. Superviseseight copy editors who edit and slot stories from national correspondentsand science reporters. CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACES: Deirdre has served one term asvice president/conferences and was a board member for three years.As VP, she has overseen planning of the Cleveland and Miami conferences,and she planned the first nationally sponsored regional workshop, inOmaha this fall. She previously was editor of the ACES newsletter, and shehas coordinated online coverage of past conferences. QUALIFICATIONS: Deirdre has two years of experience asvice president/conferences and served on the committee that plannedthe Houston and Hollywood conferences. She has experience inscouting and selecting conference locations and negotiating conference hotelcontracts. She also has attended every conference except Chapel Hill andviews conference planning from the point of view of an attendeeand that of a copy desk manager. VISION FOR ACES: One goal of Deirdre’s, a regional workshopsponsored by the national board, was met this fall, and Deirdrewould like to build on that to bring training to even more copyeditors around the country, much as SND offers a series of flyingshort courses. She also would like to confirm locations for conferences atleast three years in advance and has set up a geographic schedule for conferences through 2012. Beyond conferences, Deirdre would like to see ACES’Web site upgraded to offer more to members and to accept membershipand conference registrations online. VICE PRESIDENT/MEMBERSHIP: Sara Hendricks CURRENT JOB: As assistant managing editor of the Victoria Advocatein Texas, Sara oversees content and presentation, and is heavilyinvolved as the paper’s digital capabilities increase. CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACES: Sara’s favorite “job” with ACEShas been serving as a contest judge. She served the inauguralyear of the Robinson Prize and again this year. She has judgedheadline contests, been a conference presenter, collected goody bagitems for the Houston conference and is part of ACES’ Texas chapter. QUALIFICATIONS: Sara has her newspaper’s support andcan put in the time required. Her background as a reporter, copyeditor and photographer at great big and itty bitty papers givesher a unique perspective. She thinks ACES filled a gap in the industry,and she likes being a part of it. VISION FOR ACES: Sara plans to increase ACES’ membershipthrough recruiting and outreach and to multiply the benefitsmembers receive. She also aims to help continue to increase thequality of conference sessions. Don’t start sending her yourideas yet, but she’d love to help expand the ways all members can help come up with ideas for both membership benefits and conference sessions.Involving more members in more ways is one of her main goals. TREASURER: Neil Holdway CURRENT JOB: News editor of the Daily Herald of suburban Chicago.Slots the front pages and oversees a staff of 17 copy editors. CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACES: Neil is finishing his first termas treasurer (for ACES and its Education Fund). He has editedand written for the newsletter. He is the liaison with regionalchapters and has presented at several national conferences andregional workshops. Neil helped start ACES Midwest. QUALIFICATIONS: “I've applied what I've learned keepingthe books on a small business's investments to ACES. I've increasedACES' return on its reserves more than tenfold in two years soit can cover the cost of scholarships and the Robinson Prize,as well as improved ACES' bookkeeping.” VISION FOR ACES: “First, I intend to maintain ACES' investmentreturn on reserves even if interest rates have peaked. ACES canand will invest in an improved Web site, particularly to allowonline conference and membership registrations, and can invest inan executive director who can establish more services for members. And I'dlike to see ACES reach out to more copy editors so they can helpACES and ACES can help them.” SECRETARY: Lisa McLendon CURRENT JOB: Deputy copy chief at The Wichita Eagle. Edits copy,writes display type and performs some supervisory duties. CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACES: Lisa has attended the past fivenational conferences and has been a presenter four times (small-paperissues and display type). She was a presenter at October’s Omaharegional workshop. Last year she served on the scholarship committee.She also touts the benefits of ACES to colleagues, students and supervisors. QUALIFICATIONS: Like all copy editors, Lisa is organized,attentive to detail and mindful of deadlines. On top of that,she’s ready to work hard for ACES. She’s spent her career atsmall and midsized papers in the heartland and will be a strong voicefor such papers on the board. VISION FOR ACES: “We need to keep working to get copyeditors out of the shadows. It’s crucial, especially now, thatpeople who make staffing decisions know what we do and why it’svaluable for quality journalism of any kind. News is news whether it’sin the paper or on the Web, and good copy editors help maintain the credibility of news sources. ACES needs to remain an advocate for qualityediting and a reliable source for training.” EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE BOARD (NON-OFFICERS): William G. “Bill” Connolly CURRENT JOB: Senior editor (retired), The New York Times. Dutiesinclude attending art school, promoting ACES, encouraging potentialcopy editors and doting upon grandchildren. CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACES: Charter member of ACES; lifetimemember; speaker at every conference so far; executive committeemember, 1998-2002 and 2004-present; Education Fund secretary-treasurer,2004-2005; Education Fund president, 2005-present. QUALIFICATIONS: Lengthy and varied experience nurturingACES from its infancy to maturation; experience at a varietyof papers; a deep understanding of the challenges facing copyeditors; numerous contacts throughout every level of the newspaper industry; the drive to turn projects into reality. VISION FOR ACES: 1.) Vigorous growth for the EducationFund, including more energetic fund-raising and publicity efforts,with the goal of making our education programs self-sustainingand broadening them within a few years. 2.) Continued enhancement ofsuch traditional ACES endeavors as the national conference, regional chapters and conferences, the newsletter and the headline competition.3.) In the face of growing economic pressures on the industry,a renewed drive to win recognition for the essential contributionsof copy editors. Daniel Hunt CURRENT JOB: Sports copy editor and page designer for The Press Democratin Santa Rosa, Calif. CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACES: Daniel, a member of ACES since2003, helped create the Northern California chapter and its Website, and he is the group’s co-chairman. He spoke about designand editing at the 2004 national conference in Hollywood and organizedNorCal’s chapter workshop in 2005. QUALIFICATIONS: Daniel’s nominator wrote that he hasa young and energetic voice that would make a great additionto the board. He’s also good with technology and could lend hisskills to improving ACES’ Web site and outreach through technology. VISION FOR ACES: “In the role of board member, I wouldlike to help grow college and high school students’ awarenessof the group. I think that the Internet can become a grassrootstool to share, teach and enhance the craft of editing by bringing the communitytogether.” Missy Prebula CURRENT JOB: Copy editor on the national desk at The New York Times.Also has served as the late slot and filled in as deputy slot. CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACES: “I have been a member since 1999,have attended the last eight conferences, mostly at my own expense,and have presented sessions and served as a moderator for opendiscussion forums.” QUALIFICATIONS: “I’ve come to know many of the society’sfounding members and leaders over the years and I have a goodunderstanding of their dedication and the amount of work theyput in on our behalf. I would welcome such a responsibility andhold it in high regard.” VISION FOR ACES: “The society needs to continue to buildits financial stability and its membership rolls. I spent fouryears at a small daily in Texas, three at The Baltimore Sun andthe last two here in New York, and I have not forgotten my earlyexperiences and the people who taught me the business. It was not alwayseasy, and that’s why I think ACES could do a better job of guidingand supporting younger editors.” Teresa Schmedding CURRENT JOB: Senior News Editor of the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago,overseeing copy editors on various desks, and planning key Page1 packages. Also assists in strategic planning for the DailyHerald's Web site and its sister publication, Reflejos. CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACES: Teresa has served on the ACESboard since 2002. Her responsibilities include overseeing theheadline contest, Robinson Prize and scholarships. She also serveson the conference subcommittee, helping organize speakers and sessions. Teresais responsible for all ACES merchandise. She has spoken at several ACES conferences and has represented ACES at the American Press Institute andin the Maynard Institute mentor program. QUALIFICATIONS: “I hit the ground running when electedto my first term and continue to plow full-speed ahead with newideas and plans for the future. One of my major goals was tocraft the rules for the Robinson Prize, which has been a great success.My job at the Daily Herald gives me a unique perspective in that it's both a major metropolitan daily and a small-town paper so I can servethe needs of all members.” VISION FOR ACES: “We, as copy editors, have to becomeproactive and get ahead of the curve on the changes in our industry.We need to provide the tools, knowledge and inspiration to helpour members do that. It's not about getting our voices heard anymore, it's about changing our tune so we can lead the orchestra. Also, mynext goal on the board is to map out a plan for more one-dayregional conferences to reach more members.” David Sullivan CURRENT JOB: In charge of all copy editors at The Philadelphia Inquirer-- scheduling, standards, etc. Also in charge of style and policyfor the paper. CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACES: David has edited the ACES newsletterfor the last two years; served on the executive board; presentedworkshops at national conferences since Baltimore; and organizedone regional workshop. QUALIFICATIONS: “There are many outstanding candidatesfor the executive board. I bring two years of experience, alongwith 13 years in leadership of an SPJ chapter, in terms of helpingan organization operate. Because of many workshops I led for KnightRidder I understand the problems both of small papers and large ones.” VISION FOR ACES: “The instability in the newspaper andmagazine businesses and the continuing online revolution areboth a threat and an opportunity to copy editors. I hope to helpACES minimize the threat through reminding editors and management everywhereof how copy editors are essential on any platform. I hope to help copy editorsseize the opportunity by both grasping opportunities in online publishing and also creatively positioning their print products for a newera.” Scott Toole CURRENT JOB: Copy desk news editor, The Express-Times, Easton, Pa.Duties include desk supervision, A-1, rimming and slotting. CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACES: Three-term Executive Board incumbent.National and regional (Ohio) conference presenter. Serves onthe conference and the executive director search committees.Coordinates the silent and live auctions at the national conference.Charter member of ACES and has attended 9 of the 10 national conferences. QUALIFICATIONS: As a three-term Executive Board incumbentand a longtime ACES member, Scott understands the challengesACES faces going forward and is dedicated to helping ensure thesociety’s success. He is committed to our craft and its future. Heenjoys interacting with our members and hearing their ideas. VISION FOR ACES: “The newspaper industry is going througha time of rapid change and ACES must be ready to address whatthis means for copy editors. Our national conferences must continueto provide vital training opportunities and we must expand ourofferings on the regional level as training dollars shrink. We must continue to look for ways to provide additional membership value and striveto grow our numbers. I favor hiring an executive director whowould take over some of the day-to-day responsibilities, freeingup our officers and Executive Board to plan ACES’ future.” RETURN TO WWW.COPYDESK.ORG 2007-2008 ACES EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (Terms of those electedthis year begin May 21, 2007.) OFFICERS President Chris Wienandt, Dallas Morning News Vice President/Membership Sara Hendricks, Victoria (Texas) Advocate Vice President/Conferences Deirdre Goebel Edgar, Los Angeles Times Secretary Lisa McLendon, Wichita Eagle Treasurer Neil Holdway, Daily Herald, suburban Chicago BOARDMEMBERS Gerri Berendzen, Quincy(Ill.) Herald-Whig Sue Blair, TIMEmagazine (retired) John Boogert, Rocky Mountain News (Denver) William G. Connolly, The New York Times (retired) Anne Ferguson-Rohrer, The Washington Post Daniel Hunt, SantaRosa (Calif.) Press Democrat Missy Prebula, TheNew York Times Teresa Schmedding, Daily Herald, suburban Chicago David Sullivan, Philadelphia Inquirer Scott Toole, Easton(Pa.) Express-Times Click here for contact information for the current committee.